Score:0

My computer ultimately keeps loading to a pulsing black screen

bt flag

I have an old computer that was just being used for wordprocessing and it was running 16 (probably ordinary ubunutu and LTS.) I followed some advice suggesting I might be able to fix something with an upgrade and I upgraded to 18 (I don't know what version.) Now whatever I try it ultimately loads to a pulsing black screen.

I can see the BIOS and can get into the GRUB and have tried following various replies around

quiet splash

vt.handoff=7

gfxmode $linux_gfx_mode

(It is possible I did them wrong.)

I can get to repair and then read/write mode or to choices of boot recovery mode and it looks like it is going to work and comes up with a promising black screen full of lines of white text and green okays... then ultimately it goes to a pulsing black screen with the mouse arrow on it.

I also tried to reinstall 16 from a DVD and a USB but I can't seem to reinstall either. I'd prefer to get in to my files as they were but reinstalling is okay.

I don't really know too much of what I am doing but I am willing to try.

Thank you.

user535733 avatar
cn flag
Advice: On a different system, [create an Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop LiveUSB](https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-ubuntu). Boot your broken system from that USB stick. Enter the "Try Ubuntu" environment (DO NOT INSTALL). Use that environment to preserve all your data onto some other storage media.
ru flag
FYI: Ubuntu 16.04 is End of Standard Support and not supported here, you should follow user535733's suggestions in this case because we cannot support the End of Standard Support releases here.
k.l.d goldfields avatar
bt flag
Thank you. I apologise. I wasn't aware you didn't accept these questions here. I have tried a USB of 22 ubuntu and 22lubuntu. 16 was because I knew it had worked and should work. None of them load from the USB, even setting USB first in BIOS.
David avatar
cn flag
It is always a good idea to use the actual version number for Ubuntu. A single digit number like 18 would mean you are running Ubuntu Core 18. If you simply say 22.do you mean Ubuntu core 22, Ubuntu 22.04 or Ubuntu 22.10? They are all different.
k.l.d goldfields avatar
bt flag
Sorry. I really don't know how to ask questions about ubuntu. Thank you for taking the time to reply. I think I was just being too hopeful and grasping at straws trying to keep it going when it has reached the end of its life. Is there a way to close the question.
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